What is Migraine and its Treatment?

What is migraine headache?
Migraine is a type of headache like tension type headache or cluster headache. Migraine pain is a severe form of headache and feels like something is throbbing in head.
 

What are symptoms of migraine headache?
Migraine is a severe, recurrent and throbbing headache. It is associated with photophobia (extreme sensitivity to light), phonophobia (fear of sounds), and nausea lasting for 4 to 72 hours. The headache worsens with body movements and the patient feels calm in a quite, dark room. The patient may complain that he/she cannot brush his/her hair, wear earrings, or feels pain when he shaves. Migraine may lead to allodynia – central pain sensitization. Watch the video below.

 
 

 

What are four phases of migraine?
Migraine headache consists of four phases: prodrome, aura, attack and prostdrome. Prodrome refers to malaise, irritability and behavioral changes some hours to days before the onset of headache. About 20% patients with migraine experience aura. Aura refers to a number of symptoms the patient with migraine pain experiences just before the onset of headache. Migraine aura can be visual (shimmering silvery zigzag lines across the visual field or scotoma), sensory (tingling or numbness), motor or verbal.
 

What are the triggers of migraine headache?
There are several triggers of migraine headache. These triggers include estrogen containing oral contraceptive pills, stress, cheese, chocolate, red wine or alcohol, intercourse, missing a meal, lack of sleep or oversleeping.
 

What is the treatment of migraine?
Treatment of migraine headache includes avoidance of triggering factors and use of simple analgesia such as Aspirin, Paracetamol or NSAIDs (non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs). Antiemetics can be used for nausea and vomiting. Triptans (e.g. sumatriptan) should be considered for severe attacks. Other drugs which can be used for migraine treatment are calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, antidepressants and anti-epileptic drugs.
 

What is the prophylaxis of migraine?
When a patient experiences 3-4 attacks of migraine pain in a month, then prophylactic treatment for migraine is considered. Prophylactic treatment of migraine includes avoiding triggering factors of migraine and using drugs like calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, antidepressants and anti-epileptic drugs calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, antidepressants and anti-epileptic drugs.

Causes of Migraine Headache

Migraine headache is a type of headache where the patient experiences severe throbbing/pulsating pain on the one side of the head. It may accompanied with several different signs and symptoms. The cause of migraine is not well known; however, studies reveal that it is caused by the dilatation of blood vessels and the activation of the part of our central nervous system (brain) which is supplied by trigeminal nerve (fifth cranial nerve). You may precipitate or trigger your migraine headache or the following factors cause headaches if:

• You have family history of migraine headache.
• You are alcohol user or abuser.
• You are under emotional or physical stress.
• You sleep much or do not have adequate sleep.
• You have missed your meal.
• You are the patient of migraine and you eat chocolates.
• You are having bright lights all around you.
•  You are disturbed with loud noise.
• You are under the stress of hormonal changes.
• You are on oral contraceptive pills (OCPs).

If you avoid all of the above, you may enjoy migraine relief and no need of migraine medication.
Watch the video below (in urdu)

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Keywords: Migraine headache, Causes, Migraine relief, Migraine medication, Risk factors